The present invention relates to fishing rod holders of the type generally intended to be mounted upon a fishing boat, and more particularly to an improved fishing rod holder having an assembled combination of tubular members pivotally coupled together and releasably latched so that the holder may be easily positioned for insertion and removal of a fishing rod by the fisherman even when mounted overhead.
Recreational fishing boats are often equipped with hard tops, radar arches and other overhead structures that permit the elevated mounting of fishing rod holders known throughout the boating industry as xe2x80x9crocket launchersxe2x80x9d. Proper design dictates that these rocket launchers are mounted at high enough levels so that the averaged sized person can safely pass under them while standing or walking in an erect position. As a result of the height of these elevated mountings, it is very difficult for the fisherman to load and unload such rocket launchers with a fishing rod without climbing up to the level of the mounting, which, while the boat is at sea, can become a serious safety hazard. Although the fisherman may be able to stretch and reach the elevated height of the mounting while stretching, no present fishing rod holder has been heretofore devised which can be manipulated in a relatively smooth and easy fashion with one hand, if necessary, for full operation of the holder and the proper loading and unloading of the fishing rod relative thereto.
Accordingly, it is a general purpose and object of the present invention to provide an improved fishing rod holder of the so-called rocket launcher style that is safer and easier to use and operate on a fishing boat then those fishing rod holders heretofore developed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved fishing rod holder for overhead mounting in a fishing boat that can be safely and easily manipulated by a fisherman even when out at sea.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a rocket launcher style of fishing rod holder that can be fully deployed and operated by a fisherman with one hand, if necessary, without climbing from the deck of the fishing boat.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a fishing rod holder that can be easily mounted upon the hard top or other overhead structures of the fishing boat, that is reasonably inexpensive to manufacture, and reliable in its operation.
Briefly, these and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by an improved fishing rod holder for a hard top or other overhead structure of a boat comprising an assembly of interconnected tubular members movable relative to each other so that the rod holder may be rotated between a stationary upright position wherein a fishing rod is held firmly and a downward position wherein a rod may be easily removed from or inserted into the holder. The tubular members of the holder include a base member adapted to be mounted to the boat structure by a weldment attached thereto, a rod tube pivotally connected to the base member and sized to hold the butt end of a fishing rod, and a latch handle sized to fit around the rod tube and further formed to releasably engage the base member coaxially thereby placing the holder in the stationary upright position. When a fishing rod is required to be removed from the holder or another rod inserted therein, the latch handle is grasped and pushed upward by the fisherman along the rod tube disengaging the latch handle from the mounted base so that the rod tube may be rotated downward toward the fisherman for easy rod removal or insertion. To return the fishing rod holder to its stationary upright position, the latch handle is regrasped by the fisherman and rotated upward together with the rod tube, both pivoting relative to the base member, until the latch handle re-engages the base member coaxially and secures the holder in place.
For a better understanding of these and other aspects of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals and characters designate like parts throughout the figures thereof.